Self-disinfecting brush



Match 24, 1931. c. GORDYN, JR., ET AL 1,798,931

SELF DI S INFECTING BRUSH Filed June 21, 1928 Patented Mar. 24, 1931 UNITE STATES! CORNELIUS GORDYN, 3a., AND HrnnnrK VAN DER MoL'EN, F AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS SELF-DISINFECTING BRUSH Application filed June 21, 1928'. Serial No. 287,263.

This invention relates to brushes, more especially to brushes, which it is important to have in a hygienic condition; the chief object being to enable the manufacturers of the brushes to make them in such a manner that the brushes Will be self-disinfecting, and to enable the person who makes use of the brush to carry out the brushing with the practical certainty of immunity from contaminating influences, without compelling him to take special measures therefor.

Various attempts have been made by others to find any suitable method for cleaning and disinfecting brushes.

F or instance a tooth-brush will take a bad taste after having been used for some time. If particular precautions are not taken. This indicates an effect of the work of bacteria. That especially the tooth-brush actually affords a culture-medium for bacteria is often recognized in medical and dental literature. Therefore it has been recommended to boil it always after using, or to keep it in a solution of some disinfectant,

or to keep it in a tube with an antiseptic pastille. All these methods demand continual care by the person who makes use of the brush and they are made uneflicient by neglect; besides they are not safe in the case of children.

he application of the present invention makes all these precautions on the part of people using the brush unnecessary because the manufacturer of brushes can bring a material within the brush-stock in such a Way, that a disinfectant comes in contact withall the bristles over their whole lengths, so that it is impossible for bacteria to flourish on the brush.

This procedure has the advantage of attackin the germs exactly in the places where they are most abundant, i. e. between the bristles, especially where the bristles are im- 5 planted in holes, wherefrom the germs cannot be removed by simply rinsing or washin g the brush.

With the foregoing objects in view the invention consists in the particular construc- 50 tion more especially described hereinafter and shown in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side View;

Fig.2 is a top View;

Figs. 3, t, 5 and 6 are sectionson the lines 3 -3, 4- 4, 55 and 66 of Fig. 2. V 5

Fig. 7 is a perspective View of a tube'from which the brush-stock is made.

Referring to the drawings and in detail.

Fig. 7 is a tube of a suitable material e. g. celluloid.

In this tube is placed at one end a core, made of a similar material, for the anchoringof the bristle-tufts. Then the remaining space in the tube is filled with a material which after moistening develops a disin'fectant (e. g. trioXymethylen-e) (CH Oh- Then the tube which-now contains the anchoring core and the disinfectant-m'aterial is placed in a mould and pressed in the form the manu= facturer wants for the brush-stock. If the bristles are to be'fiXed bya wire or thread. in grooves the mould can be made so that the grooves are pressed in the brush-stock; ln'the figuresan example of a form isgiven, but this method enables the manufacturer 7 to make" every suitable form he wants. The moulds must be made so that the ends of the tube are closed by the pressing. I

Now the; brush-stock is ready. Then the holes for the bristle-tufts can be drilled in the ordinary Way and the tufts-inserted and fixed by anchoring in the" ordinary Waysi- InFig's. 3, 4c, 5 and'6', 8' indicates the anchoring-core, 9 the materialwhich develops the, disinfectant and 10ananchor.

In order to increase the transport of the disinfectant from the handle of the brush to the head a strip of tape or'linenor paper or some other absorbent material maybe placed in the tube from one end to the other before the filling. and pressingof the tube. These strips absorb the moisture with which the brush comes in contact when being used and facilitatethe transport of the disinfectant like a wick in a lamp. 9i If celluloidis chosen as the material for the brush-stock the moulds are warmed be fore pressing in the ordinary way at-a' tem perature of about to Celsius.

Every suitable form of brush-stock can be made. The work is facilitated if the form of the tube and the form of the core are chosen in accordance with the end form of the brush to be made.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. A disenfecting brush comprising a tube, a disinfectant confined within said tube, a plurality of perforations through one wall of said tube, tufts of bristles passing through each of said perforations, and means securing said tufts of bristles in said tube at points spaced from the perforations in said tube wall, whereby said disinfectant may escape from said tube only through and around said tufts of bristles.

2. The structure as in claim 1 wherein the said tube has bristles adjacent one end only, and said disinfectant is non-fluid and extends into said end in a thin layer.

3. The structure as in claim 1 wherein said tube hasbristles adjacent one end only, said bristles passing through a thin strip of disinfectant, which strip is a continuation of the main portion of disinfectant, whereby all of said bristles are in direct contact with said disinfectant.

4. A disinfecting brush comprising an elongated tube, perforations through said tube adjacent one end thereof, tufts of bristles passing through each of said perforations, anchoring means in said tube for said tufts of bristles, a disinfectant substantially filling the remainder of said tube, said disinfeotantbeing in the form of a thin strip adj acent the bristled end of said tube, said bristles passing through said thin strip, and an absorbent wick coextensive in length with said disinfectant.

5. The structure as in claim 4: wherein said absorbent wick extends between said disinfectant and the perforated end of said tube.

6. The structure as in claim 4 wherein the absorbent wick comprises an envelope which substantially encloses said disinfectant.

7 A disinfecting brush comprising a hollow handle, a soluble disinfectant within said handle, openings in one wall of said tube, tufts of bristles passing through said openings in said handle, and means securing said tufts of bristles within said handle, said bristles having capillary passages between the same and the adjacent edges of said openings, whereby small quantities of the liquid 7 used by brushing may pass through the capi lary passages into the hollow handle to moisten said soluble disinfectant to thereby directly disinfect the bristles each time the brush is used.

8. A disinfecting brush comprising a hollow, permanently closed handle, perforations extending through one wall of said handle, a plurality of tufts of bristles passing through said perforations to leave capillary spaces between the bristles of each tuft, means securing said bristles to said handle at points re i 

